Fall and Winter Gardening in the PNW

In most places farmers and gardeners are used to having an “off” season. Despite how the term may sound, the off season is never a time to be detached from your garden. Along with healthy reflection, the cold fall and winter months are a time to let the land rest, recycle nutrients, and attend to chores while sunlight and temperatures are limited. Though wintertime gardening in many places would prove difficult beyond practicality, the coastal region of the pacific northwest offers a climate where the prospects of fresh vegetables are not only tangible but tantalizing.

The first thing you want to take into account is what varieties of vegetables you are going to grow. One of the most practical groups is root crops such as turnips, carrots, beets, and parsnips. Other go-to’s are Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, and Kohlrabi (these are actually all the same species Brassica oleracea). Many of these root crops and hearty greens actually benefit from a touch of frost after they have matured into adult plants. Cold nights and warm days of autumn can add sugars and crispness to these vegetables.

Now during this so-called “off” season the sun has quite a different relationship with the land, so location of your fall and winter beds are key to growing happy plants. If you are growing next to a home or another structure that has stone, brick or concrete walls then you can use the residual warmth to keep your plants at a more consistent temperature. Take advantage of any south facing slope, and if you have barriers like trees or a hedge (or any other structure), planting on the northeast side of it will ensure that your garden is protected from the cold winter winds that blow in the from the Pacific Ocean.

Now since we are planning a garden for the later portion of the growing season we are going to have to make sure that the soil is not depleted. After growing food for two seasons, we have to be meticulous about what we plant and how we amend our soil to make sure that our fall and winter crops have everything they need. One thing to avoid is planting the same or similar crops in the same area. Every variety of plant has certain soil requirements and repeatedly planting the same crop in one area renders the soil much less equipped to grow it again. This also makes easy dinning for pests and soil pathogens that have already moved into that corner of the garden. We can expect that there will be plenty of precipitation during the fall and winter so good drainage is important as well. Our recommendation is to amend the soil with compost or manure before your second planting, this will restore nutrients to the soil and help with drainage if things get a little muddy.

On to the subject of timing, and assuming you’re not just letting your collard green trees flirt with perennialism, there is a little bit of thinking that goes into when you should plant your crops you’d like to grow into the winter. Our rule is this: determine the average frost date in your region and the days to maturity that is most likely labeled somewhere on your seed packets. This will best prepare you for the cold snaps likely headed your way. When that time of the year finally arrives make sure you are paying attention to the weather, if you are growing something less hearty like lettuce you will want to cover the plants at night with a cloche or even an old blanket. As we mentioned earlier, crops that live underground or hearty vegetables like kale or cabbage welcome a short frost that doesn’t get below 30 degrees or so. Of course, if you have access to a greenhouse your options increase, but it is important to remember that temperature regulation can only take you so far. Because fruiting of vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers are based on photo cycles and the abundance of light, we recommend that you focus on leafy vegetables and root crops that you can get started at the end of the regular season.

Of course there is no shame in taking some time off and indulging in the fruit of your labor during the cold season, but if you want to keep the fresh produce flowing then we hope that this will inform you and inspire you to do so.